Failing to renew Trident ‘extremely dangerous’

DEFENCE Secretary Michael Fallon has questioned whether Labour is “wavering” in its support for renewing the Trident nuclear deterrent following suggestions the party could do a deal in Westminster with the SNP.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said her red line for a deal to put Ed Miliband in Downing Street if the SNP hold the balance of power after the election in May will be to scrap Trident.

And Labour Livingston MP Graeme Morrice called for Trident not to be replaced during defence questions on Monday.

He said: “In a period of changing security threat, and as the national security strategy noted in 2010, is it not sensible to consider how ending the Trident replacement programme would release resources that could be spent more effectively on other security measures, as well as on a range of other public spending priorities, not least our national health service?”

But Mr Fallon warned that failing to renew Trident would be “extremely dangerous”.

He said: “Successive Governments, Labour and Conservative, have been committed to our continuous at-sea deterrent for more than 45 years, and I hope that the Labour party in Scotland will not waiver from that.

“It would be extremely dangerous to move to any kind of part-time or lesser deterrent, and the Conservative party will not gamble with Britain’s national security.”

A Scottish Labour spokesman said: “Grame Morrice’s views on Trident are well known.”